To the Zoo and Aquarium!

Sara and the kids have had a great two days! On Tuesday they ventured to the Perth Zoo, which was a fun adventure just getting there as they took a ferry from the wharf area across the Swan River.

Mixing animals and Kaufman kids has proved to be a great formula for a memorable time, and the Perth Zoo did not disappoint. Though they saw some of the same animals when we went to the Koala Park on Sunday, the zoo is much more restrictive regarding hands-on. It showed how special the Cohunu Koala Park actually is!

After I finished up my Tuesday session I rejoined the family for dinner at a pizza place in the Northbridge area called Il Padrino. The place was a bit of a dive with cheesy photos of the charismatic owner posing with everyone under the sun (even a Photoshop'd Pope). I would characterize the service as "New York deli", mostly in a funny way. Waitresses quote of the night: "2 more minutes". Despite the ambiance, the pizza was quite good. We highly recommend the place!

Christa and Zachary ended up sleeping through dinner. In fact, the new joke is "Hey, where did Christa sleep through dinner at tonight?" Come 7:00pm or so, she and Zachary start hitting the proverbial wall. You've heard of sleepwalking? Z actually tried some sleep-eating on Tuesday night! These guys have adjusted so well, for the most part... But sometimes you just gotta give up and fall asleep!

On the way home I picked up a phone card to particpate in some church related conference calls.

On Wednesday the family headed for the Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA). The kids were once again plain crazy about seeing all the animals. Top memories reported to me were touching starfish, touching sting rays, and seeing exhibits with sharks, sea dragons, and real coral. They were able to talk with an aspiring marine biologist who is studying in Perth.

Tonight we ate at the hotel restaurant, assuming we'd have a Christa sleeper before dessert was served. Make that the main meal as she was cashed out again. Barrett's dish to the right was called the "Little Burger". Yikes! Can't imagine what the "Big Burger" must have looked like!
Two more days of training for me. Two more days of exploring Perth with Sara and the kids. It's been a great place to spend for our first trip to Australia!